“I write not because I have the strength to write, but because I do not have the strength to remain silent.” -Rav Avraham Yitzchok Kook zt’l

A Pesach lesson from my son

Last week during carpool my 12 yr old son shared the following revelation with me:

Abba, did you know that a Mitzvah Tank is just an RV that they Na Nach up Lubavitch style?

I smiled at his his observation, but it also initially bothered me. I have always found it somewhat troublesome when someone copies something from someone else and then they (those who copy) get credit for being creative and original. I cringed when people would tell me how Blue Fringe had this “awesome new song” called “Hafachta” (originally written and performed by Diaspora Yeshiva Band). I smirked when teens would tell me that “they came out with another Willy Wonka movie, but that guy just isn’t as weird as Johnny Depp”. Some remakes of movies and cover songs are not all bad. I just don’t like it when the originals get overlooked for, simply, being original.

Now, I don’t blame my son. He’s seen Mitzvah Tanks in Chicago. He has also seen videos of Na Nachs dancing in Tel Aviv, photos of their Na Nach’ed up vehicles, and even seen some guys selling their swag Motzei Shabbos on Central Ave (in Cedarhurst, NY). In his mind, the Chabad that copied the Na Nachs, not the other way around. It’s his frame of reference only because he saw the Na Nachs do it first.

I have been thinking about this for over a week. At first, as I described above, I was bothered. Then, after some hisbonenus I gained a better perspective on things. A number of years ago I heard an amazing vort on the chatzatzros, trumpets, used in the Mishkan. R David Orlofsky quotes Rav Moshe Shapiro, who brings up the point that after Moshe was niftar, the trumpets he used were put away and hidden. Yehoshua had to fashion his own. Rav Shapiro says the reason is that each generation doesn’t aways respond to the clarion call of the previous generation. While the message is the same, the mode for communiting it has to be different.

The call of the shofar is eternal, and thus a shofar is not invalidated by age. However, in contrast to the raw, natural, shofar, the silver chatzotzros are man-made. Their message changes as people do. The call of the chatzotzros is distinct for the generation.

If each generation has to be approached differently then, kal v’chomer (even more so) for each person.We know that, ” A person is obligated to see himself as if he were leaving Egypt.” (Pesachim 116b)The way that I might perceive my own freedom from Mitzrayim is, in fact, totally different than how anyone else sees it. This obligation totally makes sense based on my son’s observation about the Mitzvah Tank. My son has no choice but to see things from his perspective. Hopefully he will experience Pesach in a very personal and meaningful way. Hopefully I will, too.